You have over 20 things to do and take note, that’s just for today! Laundry, groceries, bring the kids to school, and the list goes on. It’s exhausting but did you know that you can delegate the simplest tasks to your little one? Not only will this help you save time for something more important, but it also teaches them about responsibility.
Before Anything Else…
What I’m sharing below are some age-appropriate household chores that your kids can do at home. However, keep in mind that other factors should be considered when finding out the right chore. For instance, you should also take note of your child’s physical ability, interest, and level of maturity.
Age-Appropriate Household Chores
Help your kids to become a responsible, independent adult as early as now by designating appropriate chores to them. In case you don’t know, doing chores provides not 1, not 2, but more than 3 benefits to your little ones, such as:
- It helps them become more successful adults.
- It improves gross and fine motor skills.
- It teaches them how to work with other people.
- It helps them understand the concept of “delayed gratification”.
- It imposes self-discipline.
Compensating Kids For Doing Chores
One of the big questions when it comes to kids doing chores is that if they should be “compensated”. Some parents think that their children should not be paid simply because as a family, it’s their job to help the household. Meanwhile, other parents think that it’s a good way to motivate kids and teach them that “money is earned”.
What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts in our community or the comment box below.
Chores For 2 To 3
Mommy Tip: Whenever I’m doing something, like pack the orders or cook, my son would always ask me if I need help. Sweet, huh? So I make sure that I can provide a little task for him. If not, I keep him excited by making a sticker chart on his notebook. In case he acquired 10 stars, I give him a toy or food as a reward.
Anyway, here are some of the things that your toddler can do:
- Put toys back in the box.
- Help make the bed.
- Put dirty clothes in the laundry basket.
- Dust the furniture with help.
- Put books back on the shelf.
- Get the diapers and baby wipes.
- Help water the plants.
Chores For 4 To 5
By this time, your preschool-aged kids can do a lot of things and since they are starting to learn more, you can use this time to teach them the importance of learning household chores. Plus, Science suggests that by doing so, your child getting lots of benefits.
- Help prepare dinner
- Sort clothes for laundry
- Mop the floor
- Help in cooking or baking a meal
- Help make the bed.
- Feed the dog or other pets.
- Dust the furniture.
Chores For 6 To 8
At this age, your child may not be very excited about chores anymore. However, keeping track of the tasks they’ve completed and giving a reward can motivate them well. The good news is that they need less supervision when doing household since their level of maturity has increased.
- Take the trash out.
- Sweep/vacuum the floor with supervision.
- Fold clothes.
- Make their bed.
- Mop the floor with supervision.
- Help put out the groceries.
- Rake leaves.
Chores For 9 To 12
Asking the child to do a chore, at this age, can be more challenging. Sometimes, they might even get upset when you assign a lot of unexpected tasks. What you can do is ask a little input from then when making a schedule or system for chores. Also, aside from the rewards, it helps to let them understand the negative consequences when they failed to complete their work.
- Help wash the dishes manually or by using a dishwasher.
- Put the laundry away.
- Prepare simple meals such as salads and scrambled eggs.
- Help clean the bathroom.
- Operate the washing machine.
- Bring the mail in.
- Help clean the kitchen.
Chores For 13 To 18
Now that they are in their teenage years, they can handle almost any chores without supervision. They can even keep the entire household clean when they’ve been taught early and properly. However, that doesn’t mean that we should rely on them to do everything. Like us, they have school so it’s best to provide a workload they can manage.
- Clean the car.
- Clean out kitchen appliances, such as the refrigerator.
- Replace the light bulbs.
- Babysit.
- Help do the grocery and grocery list.
- Paint and do other simple home repairs.
- Iron clothes.
Asking the little ones to help you do the household is challenging, encouraging them to complete the same tasks over and over again (and doing a little more) is another issue. However, as long as you can find a system that works for you and your children, you can make things easier. After all, teaching them to do chores at an early age offers a lot of advantages for them.